Scientific Name:
Berberis aquifolium
( syn.
Mahonia aquifolium
)
Pronunciation:
BUR-bur-iss ack-wih-FOE-lee-um a-kwi-FO-lee-um
Common Name:
Oregon grape
Family Name:
Berberidaceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen
Key ID Features:
Native evergreen shrub; leaves alternate, most 15-25cm long x 10-15cm wide, pinnately compound with (5-)7(-9) sessile leaflets (reminiscent of holly leaves), most 6-9cm long x 3-4cm wide, margin spinose, dark green, glossy; racemes of showy yellow florets 8-12mm wide; berries in grape-like clusters, blue-violet, , glaucous, ovoid-round, 6-9mm wide.
Habit:
Stiffly upright
Form:
Oval - vertical
Texture:
Medium
Mature Height:
1.3 - 2.0m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
B.C. west of Cascades, U.S. - northwest
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun only if soil kept moist, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract beneficial insects, Attract birds, Mixed shrub border, Security/barrier, Wildlife food, Winter interest, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Google (the current accepted genus name is Berberis but it's still commonly sold and known as Mahonia).
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Prickly
Surfaces:
Glabrous, Lustrous
Compound Leaf:
Odd-pinnate
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Colour in Fall:
Purple, Dark-red, Bronze
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Pungent
Bases:
Obtuse, Truncate
Margins:
Dentate, Spinose, Undulate (wavy)
Inflorescence Type:
Raceme, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Rotate/stellate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow
Flower Scent:
Sweet
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Berry (true), Edible
Fruit Colour:
Blue, Violet, Black
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Additional Info:
Showy, Edible
Bark Morphology:
Smooth
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Brown
Propagation:
Seed, Greenwood cuttings, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Anthracnose, Aphids or adelgids, Fungal leaf spot, Leaf miner insect, Rust, Scale insects, Whitefly or psyllids (Deer resistant, Drought tolerant)
Specific Pests:
Course(s):
- AARB 1012
- CLT Training
- HORT 1155
- Level 2 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (BCE) Boulevard (Circular) Eastend
- (ONW) Overpass North side West : 811
- (QRR) Quercus Robur Row planting
- (WDH) Wark-Dumais House : under Scots pine